Assateague Island National Seashore
Worcester County
Assateague Island not only has a 39 mile ocean shoreline perfect for a beach day, but also a bayside salt marsh environment filled with small marine life, and wild horses roaming the island, making it a beautiful experience of maryland's natural diversity
Assateague is one of Maryland’s most memorable coastal escapes, known for its windswept beaches, marshes, and the wild horses that often wander near the shoreline. It’s a great place for long beach walks, biking, kayaking, fishing, and camping, with plenty of room to slow down and take in the scenery. The visitor areas, trails, and bathhouses are set up for easy use, and the park is free for pedestrians and cyclists; vehicle fees and hours change by season, so it’s worth checking before you go.
Assateague is a 37 mile barrier island stretching along the coast of Maryland into Virginia. As a national seashore, it's protected from commercial development, keeping the natural ecosystem preserved. Assateague is a crucial stop for migrating birds, and the island itself acts as an environmental barrier, protecting the mainland from harsh, salty waves. The variety of endangered species and the fragility of the park means that you have to be a little extra careful when visiting, but it is a great spot for nature-lovers to experience the environmental diversity or casual beach-goers to spend a nice afternoon in the waves.
Assateague Island was by far one of our favorite excursions. Though the drive is definitely longer, and getting through the gate was a process you should definitely plan ahead of time, the critters we saw and the fun we had simply swimming in the waves was unmatched. Swimming–specifically in the ocean–is an criminally underrated activity, and we recommend doing it whenever possible. It has a way of making you feel both perfectly in tune with everything going on inside your body and connected to the whole world as you float in a body of water larger than your comprehension.
If you bury your feet into the sand, you might feel something moving around. Dig your hands in, pull out a few inches of sand, and filter it through the water for a closer look. You might come up with a bunch of sand crabs! Although they look sharp, and their name suggests otherwise, these little guys are totally harmless. It was super easy to catch them, and they felt weird crawling around in our hands. Releasing them, they scurried back into the sand under our feet.
After some solid time splashing in the waves and basking in the sun on the ocean side, we crossed the island to the bay side, where we had scheduled a wildlife tour with Assateague Outfitters. Departing from the shore, we crossed some open water to a nearby marshy land. In a shallow muddy area, we got to dig up big clams with our feet, though Sam seemed more prone to finding sea squirts. We had no idea what these little things were before going on this tour, but they’re basically little oval shaped squishy creatures that live below the sand. They were super weird and we loved getting to know about them. Our tour guide, when we did manage to find clams, was able to tell us what kind of clams they were and other interesting facts. They were quite knowledgeable about the history of the island. It was a really awesome opportunity, and we’d definitely recommend attending if you ever go.
Continuing our trip, we started kayaking through a path in the marsh. Along the edges, some of the trees seemed to be white and dead. Our guide told us about these "ghost forests"- where the saltwater had made its way to the trees soil, killing the coastline forest. Sea level rise and extreme weathers due to the changes in climate made these ghost forests more prominent recently. Even though these dead trees were a bit of a sad sight, it made it really easy to spot a variety of birds. Parking our kayaks on a little sandbar, we started to explore the hidden wildlife around us.
Wrapping up our tour, we were pretty tired, but so glad to have had the experience. The sore arms and slight sunburn were worth the hours of fun and creature interactions we had. Whether you book a tour or just go searching personally, Assateague is a wonderful place to learn hands-on about the local wildlife. It's amazing how many creatures are all around you if you know where to look! We strongly suggest taking a trip to Assateague this summer, and make sure to check out both the ocean and bay side, as each has uniquely vibrant ecosystems.
We got to go seining, tapping the long net along the ground as we dragged it through the water. As we reached the shore, we lifted the net out and carefully transferred our catch into clear containers to look at. We had caught shrimp, a sea sponge, little fish such as sheepshead minnows and silversides, and even a crab!
Creature feature: Ponies
The Assateague ponies are a staple of the island. A quiet yet remarkable presence, you can spot them crossing the streets, wandering through the brush, or standing on the beach to avoid being mildly inconvenienced by the flies. They are feral, likely descended from domesticated herds brought over in the 17th century, and they’ve adapted to a landscape that is beautiful but not exactly generous. Observe them from a distance, because while they may seem calm and almost tourist-like in their confidence, they are still wild animals and will kick, bite, or charge if people get too close.
It’s honestly impressive that these ponies have not only survived the poor quality food on this windswept barrier island, along with the heat, mosquitoes, storms, and general misery of coastal weather, but have actually thrived here. Over time, they’ve formed their own distinct bands and social groups, which makes them feel less like a novelty and more like a real part of the island’s ecosystem. There is a Virginia population and a Maryland population, and each is divided into smaller groups with their own home ranges and social dynamics. Because of that, the horses display a surprising range of behaviors, from relaxed grazing to squabbling, sorting out dominance, and moving together like a small society that has learned how to make itself at home in a rather unforgiving environment.
Once a year, in the part of Assateague in Virginia, the ponies are herded to the Assateague Channel, where they swim across to Chincoteague Island. To regulate the population, they auction off horses here, keeping enough to sustain the tradition. This is a locally huge event, and is even televised, so if you're interested in horses, you should look into it in July!
